Russia Warns START Pull-out

In a terse statement, Russia has warned that it might think about withdrawing from the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) in the view of the deployment of a ballistic missile destroyer in Spain by the US late last month. The statement in this regard came from Mikhail Ulyanov, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s top disarmament official, who further added that in spite of continued protests, the US has enhanced its anti-missile capabilities in the Europe and has been arming its NATO allies. “We are concerned that the US is continuing to build up missile defense capability without considering the interests and concerns of Russia. Such a policy can undermine strategic stability and lead to a situation where Russia will be forced to exercise [its] right of withdrawal from the [START] treaty,” he said.